No More Gucci Knockoffs From Guess: Luxury Designer Wins $4.6 Million in Lawsuit

No more knockoffs for you, Guess-wearing Gucci aficionados: The battle of the designer G’s has come to an end that will mean some fans of the cheaper Guess goods won’t be able to buy certain products anymore. That’s because a judge ruled that Guess was infringing on some of Gucci’s trademark designs, and awarded Gucci just $4.6 million in the process as well.

Sure, $4.6 million is a nice lump of money, but perhaps not so much when you take into consideration that Gucci was seeking more than $120 million, reports Reuters.

Gucci had accused Guess of copying certain designs, and while a U.S. Judge said yes, there was some trademark infringement, Gucci will not get damages reflecting lost sales or harm to its brand, deeming analysis from a damages expert “highly speculative.”

However, Gucci did win a permanent injunction against Guess’ use of three of four challenged designs. Gucci claimed Guess was trying to “Gucci-ize” its line with wallets, belts, shoes and other items with designs mimicking Gucci, which then confused consumers and diluted its luxury brand.

The designs in question, if you’re wondering, included: green-red-green stripes, a stylized “Square G,” a group of four interlocking “G”s known as a “Quattro G,” and a script logo. The last one isn’t covered by the injunction.

Said the judge, “it is my hope that this ugliness will be limited to the runway and shopping floor, rather than spilling over into the courts.”

The full quote was better: Over the past three years, the parties have put in countless hours
and spent untold sums of money, all in the service of fashion â€“ what Oscar Wilde
aptly called â€œa form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six
months.â€ With the instant disputes now resolved, and with 291 Gucciâ€™s entitlement to the relief noted above, it is my hope that this ugliness will be limited to the
runway and shopping floor, rather than spilling over into the courts.

Ahh, yes, because, you see, consumers were buying the cheap ones because they had lots of money to buy the expensive ones with, but won’t spend it. Not because they don’t have enough money for the expensive ones. Nosiree!

I never touched Gucci (don’t even remember the last time I glanced at its store). Too damn expensive.

I liked some Guess accessories. Although now it seems it has more bling that I would every care for. I lost interest in most of their wallets and bags that seem to get heavier with the amount of metal embellishments on them (and twice as shiny).

Slightly off topic, I’ve always wondered at the adoration women have with Coach products. Every time there’s a sale, the place is always crazy. I have come across a few items that were really pretty, but for some reason I cannot bring myself to buy it because it is still way over my budget (even if it’s on sale).

I used to like fancy accessories, now I decided to keep it basic. Haven’t bought any designer purses or wallets in quite some time now. Although shoes are still my temptation.